Disk cutting machine



Sept. 26, 1950 F. B. WARD 2,523,978

DISK CUTTING MACHINE Filed July 19, 1948 Patented Sept. 26, 1950 DISK CUTTING MACHINE Francis Brooke Ward, Cresskill, N. J., assigner to Anemostat Corporation of America, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application July 19, 1948, Serial No. 39,463

4 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for cutting disks from sheet materials, and has particular reference to improvements in disk cutting machines of the type comprising a pair oi sheet cutting or shearing wheels and a pair of elements between which a sheet may be held for rotation relative to said wheels so that the latter may operate to cut a disk from the sheet.

After disks have been cut by a machine of the .type mentioned it often is necessary to subject the disks to spinning or other operations which require centering of the disks in other machines. Accordingly, the general object of the present invention is to provide simple, practical means whereby a sheet disposed between the sheet holding elements lof a machine of the type mentioned may have a hole punched therein at a point coinciding with the center of the disk to be cut from the sheet to enable the Subsequently cut disk readily and accurately to be centered in a spinning or other machine for performing a subsequent operation upon the disk.

With the foregoing general object in view, the invention consists in a disk cutting machine including sheet punching means embodying the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings and as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the different views:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a. disk cutting machine equipped with sheet punching means in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on an enlarged scale through thesheet holding and the sheet punching elements of the machine; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section at right angles to Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, A designates, generally, a machine of a known type which is designed for cutting disks from sheet materials and which comprises, as usual, a cutting head I9, a bed Il, and a circle arm I2 mounted on said bed II for adjustments toward and away from said cutting head ID.

The cutting head I0 is Aprovided with a pair of sheet cutting wheels I3, I3 which may be driven in any suitable manner. On the other hand, the circle arm I2, which is of flattened C-shape as viewed in side elevation and which includes upper and lower arms I4 and I5, respectively, is provided adjacent the free ends of its said arms I4 and I5 With upper and lower sheet holding elements I 6 and I'I, respectively, between which a sheet a may be held for rotation relative to the cutting wheels I 3, I3 so that a disk may be cut therefrom `by said cutting wheels. Obviously, by adjusting the circle arm I2 along the bed II toward or away from the cutting Wheels I3, I3, disks of different diameters may be cut.

The lower sheet holding element I'l comprises a vertically disposed shank I8 carried by the lower arm I5 and provided at its top, above said arm, with a block I9 upon which a sheet a to be cut may rest.

The upper sheet holding element I6 comprises a vertically disposed shank 20 carried by the upper arm I4 in axial alinement with the shank I8 of the lower sheet holding element I'I and provided at its bottom, below said upper arm It, with a block 2l to engage or to closely overlie a sheet a resting upon the block I5 to retain the sheet upon said block I9.

Preferably the lower sheet holding element Il is vertically adjustable relative to the lower arm I5 to enable proper vertical positioning relative to the cutting Wheels I3, I3 'of a sheet a supported by said lower sheet holding element. To this end, the shank I8 may be mounted for vertical sliding movement in a bore 22 in the lower arm I5 and the latter may have threaded therein a screw 23 upon which the shank I8 may rest, Thus, by adjusting said screw the sheet holding element II may be adjusted vertically. A set screw 24 may be threaded in the arm I5 for engagement with the shank I3 to secure the elen ment I'I in any desired vertically adjusted position thereof, while the block IS may be swiveled to said shank I 8 to permit free rotation of a sheet a. Supported upon said block.

The shank 20 of the upper sheet holding element I5 is mounted for vertical sliding movement in a bore 25 in the upper arm It whereby said upper sheet holding element may be raised and lowered between sheet-releasing and sheet-holding positions relative to the lower sheet holding element Il. Moreover, said shank 20 has extending therethrough an axial bore 26 in which is disposed a punch rod 2l the lower end portion of which either is formed as, or has suitably attached thereto, a punch 28.

The punch rod 2l and the punch 28 are vertically or longitudinally movable relative to the shank 29, but are limited as to such movement by a suitable lost motion connection between them which may consist, for example, of a pin 29 carried by the shank 20 and extending transversely thereof through a slot of limited length in and extending longitudinally of the punch rod 21 Vertical movement of the shank 2|] and, hence, of the upper sheet holding element I6, therefore is under control of the punch rod 21.

Suitable power means is provided for elevating and depressing the punch rod 21 and its punch 2B and may consist, for example, of a bell-crank lever 3| pivoted to the upper arm |11 and having one arm 32 thereof connected to the upper end of the punch rod 21 and the other arm 33 thereof connected to the piston rod 34 of a fluid-,operable cylinder and piston power unit 35 mounted -upon the arm I4.

The lost motion connection between the shank 2B and the punch rod 21 is such that the pin 29 is disposed at the bottom of the slot 3@ when the lower end of the punch 28 is disposed either flush with or above the bottom face of said shank 20. It will be apparent, therefore, that upon operation of the power unitv 35 to elevate' the:

punch rod 21 and its punch 2S', the shank 20 will not be elevatedu with'. said punch*` rod and punch until the lower end of the punch is fully retracted relative to the lower end of said shank 2G. It will likewise be apparent that upon operation of the powerl uniti35 to depress the lpunch rod 21 and its punch, the shank'Z may gravitateI to its limit of downward movement, as determined either by engagement of its block 2 ll with .asheet u supported upon the block IIS-vor loy'any suitable Y stop means to predetermine' a slight. clearance between said block 2i and a sheet a supported upon the block I9, before the punch 28^is projected beyond the lower end of the shank 2G:

Assuming that the punchzrod'21 'and its punch 28 are elevated and are holding the shankzil and its block 2| elevated, andthat a sheet a to be cut has been inserted between the blocks I9 and 2| and is restingupon the block I9, itis apparent that upon operation'of the power'unit 35V to depress the punch rod 2l and its punch28, the shank 2B and its block. 2|V will be permitted;

to move downwardly with said punch rod andi;

punch until the block 2| assumes a holding'position relative to the sheeta` either in actualy contact therewith or spaced only slightly there=- above as may be desired. Then, upon haltingof downward movement of theshank ZDand its'- block 2| when the latter is in sheet holding-po- The shank |8 is provided at its top witha female die 35 with which the lower end of the punch 28, when projected beyond the lower end, of the shank 2li, cooperates to punch apiece ofi material from the plate a and thus form a hole in said plate. Preferably, the punch is maintained projected to constituter an` arbor about which the sheet is rotated until the-wheels |3, i3 have cut a disk from said sheet. It will thus be apparent that the punch hole will be located at the exact center of the disk for use inaccurately centering the disk in another machine, such as a spinning machine, for performing a subsequent operation thereon.

Extending through the shank |8 and its supporting screw 23 are axial bores 31 and 38, respectively, through which the punchings may gravitate to any suitable point.

When a sheet has been punched and a disk has been' cut therefrom, the power unit 35 then isoperated to elevate the punchrod 21 andits punch 28 and the shank 2D and its block 2|. Due to the lost motion connection between said punch rod 21 and said shank 20, the latter will remain in its lower or sheet holding position until the punch 23 has been fully retracted from the sheet and therefore there will ot occur any distortion of the sheet due to withdrawal of the punch therefrom. When, however, the punch has been fully retracted, the pin 29 will have reached the upper end of the slot 30 so that, continued elevation of the punch rod by the power unit will result in positive elevation of the shank 20 and its block 2|. Thereupon, the out disk may be removed, a new sheet may be inserted between the blocks I9 and 2| and the operation repeated.

From the foregoing description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings it is believed that the construction and operation of the present disk cutting machine will be clearly understood and its advantages appreciated. It is desired to point out, however, that while only a single speciiic structural embodiment of: ther-invention has been illustrated and describedthe.

same is readily capable of speciiically differenti-v structural embodiments within its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims.

I ciaim:

l. A disk cutting machine including sheet-cutting means, upper and lower elementsfor'holding therebetween a sheet to be rotated relative to said.

cutting means to have the latter cut adisk from', the sheet, and a punch mounted in and movable with respect to the upper of the said sheet holding elements for punching a hole in a sheet heldbey tween said elements, the lower of said sheet hold-- ing elements being rotatable to supportrthe sheet.

for rotation relative to said sheet cuttingmeans and having therein an axial hole alined-with said punch to permit the latter to pass entirely: through the sheet both to punch a hole of uniform. diameter therethrough and to serve as an arbor for holding the sheet against shifting in itsplana during its rotation relative to said cutting-.means 2. A disk cutting machine including` sheetcutting means, upper and lower arms, a` member rotatably mounted upon saidlower arnrfor sup.- porting a sheet for rotation relative to said cutting means to have the lattery cut a disk from the sheet, an eiernent mounted upon said upper arm for holding a sheet upon said sheet supportingmember, said element being vertically movable between operative and inoperative positions rela- Y tive to a sheet supported upon said sheetY sup.- porting member, and a punch mounted inand movable longitudinally relative tosaid element for. punching a hole in a sheet resting. upon said) rotatable member at a point coinciding with. the center of rotation of said member andthe sheet, said sheet supporting member having' therein an. axial hole alined with said punch Yto permit the latter to pass entirely through the sheet Ylooth to punch a hole of uniform diameter entirely therethrough and to serve as an arbor forholding -the sheet against shifting in its plane during its rotation relative to said cutting means.

3. A disk cutting machine including sheetcut ting means, upper and. lower arms, a memberr rotatably mounted upon said .lower arm for sup: porting a sheet for rotation relative togsaid cutting means to have the latter cut a disk from.. the sheet, an element mounted upon said upper armA for holding a sheet upon said sheet supporting member, said element being vertically movable. between operative and inoperative.positionsrelaE tive to a sheet supported upon said sheetsupport-l ing member, said element having an axial bore, a punch in said bore movable longitudinally relative to said element for punching a hole in a sheet supported upon said sheet supporting means for elevating and depressing said punch, and a lost motion connection between said vpunch and said element whereby said punch is effective to penetrate and to be withdrawn from the sheet only While the sheet is held upon said sheet supporting member by said element, said sheet supporting member having therein an axial hole alined with said punch to permit the latter to pass entirely through the sheet both to punch a hole of uniform diameter entirely therethrough andto serve as an arbor for holding the sheet against shifting in its plane during its rotation relative to-said lcut- Y ting means.

4. A disk cutting machine including sheet cutting means, upper and lower arms, a sheet supporting member rotatably mounted upon said lower arm, a sheet holding element mounted upon said upper arm for movement between raised and lowered inoperative and operative positions, respectively, relative to ar sheet restingv upon said sheet supporting member, a punch carried by said upper arm for elevation and depression relative to said sheet supporting member and effective when depressed to cooperate with said sheet supporting member to punch a hole in a sheet resting upon the latter, means for elevating and depressing said punch, and a lost motion connection between said punch and said sheet holding element whereby the latter'is elevated with said punch following a predetermined amount of elevation of thelatter and whereby said punch may be ,projected through and withdrawn from a sheet resting upon said sheet supporting member only when said sheet holding element is in its lowered sheet holding position, said sheet supporting member having therein anV axial hole alined with said punch to permit the latter to pass entirely through the sheet Iboth to punch a hole of uniform diameter entirely therethrough and to serve as an arbor for holding the sheet against shifting in its plane during its rotation relative to said cutting means. Y

FRANCIS BRGOKE WARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are ofrecord in thel file of this patent: I

UNITED STATES PATENTS Y Date 

